Moments in Time
by BritishPixie
Summary: Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione come across a Pensieve in 12 Grimmauld Place, and they see a chapter in the Marauders' history that Harry never knew. Prelude to a story in the works. Read and Review!


**This is sort of a prelude to a longer fanfiction I'm working on. Bit of a Sirius/OC thing, but largely not a romance... for a change. There are two times I've used memories from the books; OWLS for James, Lupin and Sirius, and Sirius's death. The first one is based on the scene in the book, while the other is more on the movie... Because I can't tell up from down in that part of the book. Read and Review!**

* * *

"This place is still pretty rank, Harry... You sure you want to move in here?" Hermione asked, coughing a little as she swatted dust away from her mouth. Harry ignored her, focusing his attention on cleaning off a mirror he'd found; of course, the fact that Ginny was reflected in its surface as she cleaned out a dresser across the room helped to hold his attention. Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him in the head, leaving him to clean the old musty bedroom by himself.

A thud and a shout of pain from an above floor made the three leave their tasks and race up to one of the topmost rooms, where Ron had been trying to dislodge some of the older junk. Harry noticed the source of the pain, as a cabinet door had swung open of its own accord and had hit the red haired young man square in the nose. Smiling as he heard Hermione saying something about Ron being a walking disaster, Harry moved to close the cabinet once more. A silvery blue light inside the cabinet made him pause, reminding him of what the light of Dumbledore's Pensieve was like. Sure enough, opening the door further revealed the stone basin of a Pensieve.

"I didn't know Sirius had one of those," Ron commented a bit nasally, holding his nose to stem the bleeding the cabinet door had caused. Ginny knelt on the floor in front of the cabinet, her hand passing lightly over the dusty floor, showing some much older blood spots.

"This isn't Ron's. Who ever put their memories in here was bleeding... and it doesn't look much like a flesh wound. There's a lot here." She stood, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear. All four stepped forward, an unspoken agreement going between them that they would be looking into the Pensieve together. Harry touched his wand to the surface of the swirling mass of memories, watching it become clear. He immediately recognized the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the scene apparently a welcome feast, judging by all the first years huddled around the dais. The four put their fingers against the scene, letting themselves be pulled into the scene.

* * *

It was indeed sorting, though they didn't recognize many of the teachers at the Feast except for Dumbledore and a few others. Harry looked over the first years that were still left to be sorted, his eyes widening as he recognized a skinny boy with unruly black hair and glasses. He looked at his father for a long moment, jolted from his thoughts as the next name was called.

"Alana Parkman." A tall girl stepped forward, with long black hair that reached almost to her waist. Aquamarine eyes looked out from the pale face, making her seem like she was looking straight through them. She sat down on the stool, her hands folding in her lap as the hat was placed on her head. A short moment later, the hat gave its proclamation.

"Gryffindor!" The girl smiled as she stood and joined her housemates, sitting next to Sirius and Lily Evans. They saw the girl Alana shaking hands with Sirius as the scene swirled and changed.

* * *

Next came a Quidditch match, Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. Harry watched the game for a moment, relishing the opportunity to see his father play, even for a moment. He seemed to be a third year or so. They soon saw Alana, playing the position of Beater. She was good, Harry had to admit, and had a pretty powerful swing.

"Nice arm," Ginny commented with a grin, watching Alana smash the Bludger square into the nearest Slytherin chaser. The scene swirled again, leaving Harry to wonder about the outcome of that particular game.

* * *

The next scene was something Harry had seen before; OWLS. It didn't show as much of the scene as Snape's memory had, only that the girl he'd seen watching Sirius before had been Alana. Looking at her more closely, Harry noticed that she had the same wistful look he knew had been on his face during the time he'd chased after Cho. Obviously, she liked Sirius quite a bit more than as a friend, but wouldn't say for some reason. The scene changed, leaving them in a darkened hallway.

* * *

Alana walked through the hall, street clothing on instead of school robes; a dark red tank top with dark pants, and a black leather trench coat; it suited her well, in Harry's opinion.

"Parkman... You look different than the last time I saw you," a cold voice drawled from a nearby door way. They immediately recognized Lucius Malfoy, perhaps in his early 20s, leaning against the doorway. Alana nearly jumped out of her skin, backing away from him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, barely able to contain the malice in her voice. He chuckled darkly, spinning his cane with the air of a child playing with a new toy, and pulled her forward as he caught the teeth of the snake in her coat, grasping onto her arms.

"Now, now... I am your superior, after all... Newly appointed to the board of directors..." He paused, watching her trying to struggle from his grip with a smile. "You should be flattered, my dear."

"Don't you 'my dear' me! You may be older, you may be influential... but you are not superior!" Hermione and Ron cheered a little as Alana spit in Lucius' face and wrenched herself from his grasp. She took off running down the hall even as he pulled his wand from the cane.

"Imperio!" he hissed, the spell hitting Alana, making her stop dead in her tracks. Harry watched in horror as she was drawn back to the elder Malfoy, her steps coming a little bit forcefully, as though she was trying with all her might to turn around. Ginny and Hermione both gasped in shock as Lucius kissed Alana almost violently, clearly enjoying the fact that she was under his control.

A spell blasted Lucius off his feet and down the hallway as the Marauders charged around the corner. Sirius and James rushed past her, leaving Remus and Wormtail to take care of Alana, who had fallen to her knees, tears silently running down her cheeks. Harry watched as his future father and godfather abandoned their wands and left a few well placed punches on Lucius before moving to see if their friend was alright. The memory swirled as they led her towards the hospital wing, supporting her and shielding her from any prying eyes.

* * *

The next few scenes made the four turn a brilliant shade of crimson, and quickly had them closing their eyes and covering their ears, as they involved Sirius and Alana in various states of undress.

"He's got stamina, I'll give him that..." Ron commented, ducking slaps from Hermione and his sister. As much as it made his stomach turn, Harry had to agree with Ron. Every memory, hurried as it was, showed Sirius and Alana together, blissfully happy. On the occasions that he could look up without seeing something he never wanted to see, he saw smiles on both their faces that could have lit the whole of Hogwarts.

* * *

The scene changed again, and Harry steeled himself for another round of the same, but it was a completely different room than before. Death Eaters filled the room, holding Alana tightly. She thrashed against their hands, her legs coming all the way up off the ground as she tried kicking them. Harry's blood ran cold as he saw Voldemort enter, making her slow her thrashing. He recognized the terror that gripped her now, had seen it on the faces of anyone who had ever been in the same room with the twisted man.

"You might as well save your strength, Mudblood," he whispered, Alana repressing a shudder as he bent to hold his face inches from hers. She kicked him in the shins, resuming her thrashing against the Death Eaters. "Crucio!"

"He's horrible..." Ginny said softly as she turned her head away, burying her face in Harry's shoulder. He held her protectively as Alana's defiant grunts of pain dissolved into screams of pure agony. The woman soon went limp in her captors' arms, panting hoarsely. Hermione had gone very pale; the sight of someone being tortured with the Cruciatus curse obviously made her remember her own torture by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"If it's information you want, you'll have to kill me!" she panted, struggling to stand upright.

"Oh, you needn't worry about that... You're going to be my newest recruit." Alana's pretty face contorted in a pained look of revulsion as she stood up straight, her legs shaking a little.

"I would rather die than help you!" Voldemort simply laughed, one of his long fingers trailing over her jaw slowly.

"Don't be boring... Everyone who says that has a tendency to die." Alana paled a little, even as he turned his attention to the blonde man to his right. "Lucius, would you be so kind as to send in our guest?" He bowed and left the room, Alana's aquamarine eyes following him warily. Harry watched Voldemort turn away from his captive, chuckling to himself softly. When Lucius returned, a tall, pale man was following. He was obviously aristocratic, with a rather noble looking face and long black hair, pulled behind his head in a ponytail. He almost seemed to glide across the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I repeat my earlier reservations... Seduction is always more reliable than terror to cement my hold on my victims," the new man explained, his voice a rich Romanian.

"I told you, I don't have time for it. Turn her!" Voldemort demanded, gesturing angrily toward the young woman. Giving a curt nod, the man turned back to Alana, wrenching her head back. Ginny turned away again as fangs emerged from the man's canine teeth, bearing down on her throat. Alana's scream was heartbreaking; a different kind of pain than when Voldemort had used the Cruciatus on her, but just as desperate as her life was drained away from her.

"Remind me never to make a vampire angry with me," Ron whimpered, gagging a little as the vampire pulled away, his mouth still dripping with her blood. He wiped his mouth off, then dragged his thumb nail down his tongue, slicing it open. He held her head upright and kissed her, forcing her to drink his blood. After a moment, he stepped away, motioning for the Death Eaters to let her go. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath as her skin lost all its flush of life and her eyeteeth became fangs. Her breathing slowed, evening out as she stood again, facing Voldemort and the unknown vampire.

"Show your master what you can do," Voldemort offered, holding out his hand. A snarl formed on the woman's face as she slapped his hand away.

"You'll pay for this, you evil son of a bitch!" It was Harry's turn to look away as Alana lashed out at the nearest Death Eaters, a few simply slashed across the throat by claws that formed from her hands, while one unfortunate man found himself with her new fangs burying themselves in his neck. The others and Voldemort had the good sense to run away, dissolving into black smoke. The vampire disappeared as well, abandoning his newest creation.

* * *

The scene changed again, but Harry hardly had the stomach to watch any more. She warned the Order of what Voldemort had tried to do, and that he may well try it again. Sirius had tried to keep her from leaving, but she had been unswayable. There were many more memories of different members of the Order coming to try to talk her into returning, to tell her about the death of Lily and James Potter, the capture of Sirius, and the downfall of Voldemort. Nothing could make Alana leave the house she'd sealed herself in. While she stayed the same, never changing, the room became more and more dilapidated, betraying the passage of a little more than a decade.

* * *

The next scene was similar to the others, but this time the Order member was Snape. Based on the former Potions master's looks, it seemed to be around their fourth year.

"Hang on... You remember Dumbledore sent him off somewhere, 'at great personal risk'? I think he was sending him after her..." Ron offered, watching curiously.

"Get out, Severus. I would have thought Dumbledore got the message when I told Kingsley I would turn him inside out if he didn't leave, and that I'd do the same to the next person to come here," Alana growled softly, not even turning to look at her former classmate. While she hadn't changed physically, Harry could see that she had lost the humor and spark she'd had the times they'd seen her human. It was replaced by a sort of smoldering rage, barely contained.

"Dumbledore wants you to come back, why... I don't know. The Order got along just fine without you... But perhaps he wants you to see an old friend. By the way, I didn't know there was any spell to turn someone inside out..." Snape smiled faintly for a moment as Alana finally turned to look over her shoulder at him, her curiosity peaked. The leather coat kicked up some of the dust on the floor, while she twisted the red scarf she wore to hide the bite marks on her throat in her hands.

"I never said I would be using a spell... but... Sirius is out?" she asked quietly, looking into his mind to see what he was talking about. She turned to look at him full on, cracking her knuckles nervously. "Where is he?"

"The family home... It's headquarters for the Order now. I am certain he would want to see you. You left him rather shattered 15 years ago." Snape walked closer to her, tentatively resting his hand on her shoulder. "The Dark Lord has returned. As much as I hate to say it... we do need you." Alana looked over at him in shock, never having heard such words of humility from him. The memory swirled as she nodded in agreement, moving towards the door with Snape.

* * *

The next memory was one that Harry knew all too well; the battle at the Ministry. He recognized the archway and the veil, and saw himself and Sirius fighting off Lucius Malfoy. But it wasn't the perspective he'd thought it would be; He saw it almost from Alana's perspective as she flew around the perimeter in a blaze of white light, chasing after Bellatrix Lestrange. She broke off the chase and swooped down, landing between Tonks and her Death Eater, taking the hit of green light for her. Of course, being already dead, the blast did nothing to the vampire.

"Avada Kedavra!" Alana and Harry both turned to look towards Bellatrix as she shouted the spell, her wand aimed at Sirius. He saw the look of terror on his own face, even as he saw the shock on hers. Alana had fallen to her knees, her blue eyes never wavering from Sirius as the veil took him. Even as Lupin grasped onto Harry's 15 year old self, Tonks was trying to keep Alana from letting lose the fury that had been pent up for so long.

When Bellatrix ran from the room, pursued by Harry, Alana tried to follow, and it took most of the Order to hold her back.

"No, get off me! I'll rip her throat out!" she screamed, thrashing against the arms of her friends, much as she had done when the Death Eaters held her down.

"Alana! We have to get the Death Eaters ready for their arrest... We can't let these ones get away! Sirius wouldn't have wanted-" Moody was cut off by an inhuman snarl from Alana.

"Don't you dare talk to me about what he would have wanted! What do you know?!" She stopped fighting them, collapsing a little against Tonks and Kingsley, scarlet tears of blood falling down her cheeks. The memory swirled one final time, and the four found themselves back in front of the Pensive.

* * *

"I'd rather hoped you'd find this, Harry," a soft voice offered behind them, now familiar to them. They turned slowly, barely glancing up. Harry's eyes traveled over oversized combat boots to sleek, dark clothing, the red scarf, leather trench coat, to the startling aquamarine eyes. "God, you look so much like your dad..." She reached out a leather gloved hand, fingers cut out, prompting Harry to back up a little. "Don't worry, I've had my fill of throats for this evening." She smiled a little and backed away, cracking her knuckles.

"You were at Hogwarts on that last night, weren't you?" Ginny asked, tilting her head a little. Alana nodded, smiling faintly.

"Of course I was. I wasn't about to miss a chance to see Snake Face get clobbered... Which you did wonderfully, by the way." Harry smiled, taking a liking to her, even though she was a vampire. "When Sirius was killed, I came here, to get rid of the memories... They were some of the best times of my life... and some of the worst. I didn't want to have them in my head any more. So I put them here, where I could look for a moment if I wanted, but wouldn't be haunted any longer."

"You weren't bleeding when you put the memories in like we thought... You were crying..." Hermione whispered, sitting down on a dusty armchair nearby. She'd been unusually quiet, but Harry suspected that seeing so much had thrown her, especially the Cruciatus. Alana nodded, turning and climbing up a ladder to the topmost attic room. Harry followed a few rungs, far enough to see that a coffin had been set up in a corner.

"It's almost dawn... I'll talk to you again at sunset," she explained, talking loud enough for the others to hear. She smiled to Harry as she laid herself out in the coffin, her long and lanky form barely fitting in. "You really do look like your father, you know... Except-"

"Eyes. I know. Everyone says that," Harry said with a smile. Alana chuckled and crossed her hands over her chest, breathing out deeply. She didn't inhale again, and the slight blush in her cheeks faded completely, leaving her looking like a corpse; still a rather pretty one, but a corpse nonetheless. Harry climbed down again, leading the others from the room.

"We should probably get some sleep. I have a feeling we're going to hear a lot of stories," Hermione yawned, heading down the stairs.

"I don't know if I trust her completely," Ginny half whispered, chewing on her bottom lip. "She's creepy."

"She's a vampire, she's supposed to be creepy," Ron explained, moving to the bathroom to clean the blood from his nose.

"I know what you mean, though, Ginny... But I can't help but think we can trust her. Sirius did, after all." Harry yawned himself, and said good night to his friends. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.


End file.
